|
The length of the engine wasn't the problem, but the length of the crankshaft. At high rpm torsional vibration could easily break the thing, so straight-eights tended to have a low rev limit although they had lots of torque and were very smooth.
|
what about 5 cylinders
wasnt it old audis and volvos who did them?
why an odd number?
|
what about 5 cylinders wasnt it old audis and volvos who did them?
Volvo still do, as do Ford (same engine) in the Focus ST, S-Max and new Mondeo.
5 pots warble. It's a lovely, mellow sound that makes me feel instantly at ease. When it's overlaid with a turbo whistle it's very, very special. My mate's ur-Quattro 10v makes a noise to die for.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
|
|
I had heard it was because it was the longest engine they could fit in the space available with not enough space for a 6 either longitudinally ahead of the front wheels (Audi) or not enough space transversely (Volvo) in at least the 850 where it started (yes I know the S80 had a transverse straight 6 later on).
Also Audi were trying to sell it as better than a 4 cylinder without the weight/size of a straight 6.
|
|
don't forget the big Harley V-twin - followed one yesterday and went off my route just to listen to the noise as he went up through the gears, burbled off throttle but when he opened it up - lovely, anti-social but lovely.
|
don't forget the big Harley V-twin -
Ah, the old potato-potato. Harley tried (unsuccessfully) to patent it a few years back.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
|
I've just sat here going 'potato potato potato' to myself and yes that's exactly the noise - got some funny looks from the others though.....
|
Ducati's 90° V-twin (L-twin) is my personal favourite of the twin cylinder units, particularly the later Testastretta units.
Utterly glorious, utterly distinctive sound even at its lazy, lumpy tickover, but at 9,000 RPM on WOT with a set of Termignoni pipes, it makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
|
|
|
My RS2 was 5 cylinder and did make a fantastic rasping warble at high engine revs.
My favourite car sound is that made by the flat 4 you find in Subarus however.
Cut n paste the link to hear it
www.scoobyclinic.com/frameset.htm
Not an advert but this outfit are amongst the best around when it comes to Subarus.
|
|
3 cylinder engines are also characterful. The best thing about the Daewoo Matiz I was given as a (dis)courtesy car was red lining it in a vain attempt to get it to accelerate.
|
|
|
The "ideal" has to be the 6-cylinder, smoother and silkier than the "lesser" potted engines, and can be equally as "throaty and growlsome" as the "greater" potted engines, but without the drink problem! Tis an engine for all occasions, suitable for taking gran on her Sunday run, through to teaching the "baseball caps" who's boss!! (when needs must! ;-) )
|
|
|
|
what about 5 cylinders wasnt it old audis and volvos who did them? why an odd number?
my 5-cylinder turbo Volvo is beautifully smooth and quiet, ideally suited to an executive saloon. Compared to my old car (1.6 litre, 8-valve 4-cylinder) it's hard to even hear that the engine is on.
Some comments on WIkipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-5
A 5-cylinder engine also gains smoothness over a 4-cylinder engine because, with the latter, there is no point when all pistons reverse direction at the same time. A typical inline-4 has the center pistons rising and falling together and the outer pistons rising and falling together. When pistons #1 and #4 are at top dead centre (TDC), #2 and #3 are at bottom dead centre (BDC).
Every cylinder added beyond five increases the overlap of firing strokes and makes for a smoother engine. An inline-6 gets a power stroke every 120 degrees. So there is more overlap (180° - 120° = 60°) than in a 5-cylinder engine (180° - 144° = 36°). However, this increase in smoothness of a 6-cylinder engine over a 5-cylinder engine is not as pronounced as that of a 5-cylinder engine over a 4-cylinder engine. The inline-5 loses less power to friction as compared to an inline-6.
A 5-cylinder engine is longer and more expensive to manufacture than a comparable 4-cylinder engine, but some manufacturers feel these costs are outweighed by its greater smoothness.
|
>>Compared to my old car (1.6 litre, 8-valve 4-cylinder)<<
My old car used to have 8 valves as well!!
Trouble was four of them were in the radio! ;-(
|
|
An oddity is the V5 engine used in older V-AG cars. As far as I know it shares much of it's design with the V6 but it's a terrible engine. Not particularly nice sounding and not smooth not to mention being heavy and bereft of power. It came in 2 version 150 and 170 bhp- neither any good IMO.
|
|
I had a Bora for a short while, IIRC in 2000, a V5 150 (the 170 was 4valve/cyl), it was not smooth though was charaterful. Likewise my Vectra V6 which was strangely unrefined though nice and gutsy at low revs (compared to a Mondeo V6 for instance) though smoothed out beautifully at higher revs, something to with variable length inlet manifold.
|
A Honda V-Tec given its head beyond around 5,000rpm has the most glorious howl.
The Alfa Romeo three litre V6 also emits a wonderful noise.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
|
Big block American V8 has to take biscuit especially with open pipes and Ducati in bike world -- at moment my V6 sounds grand at 4-5k when supercharger is howling.
|
Big block American V8 has to take biscuit especially with open pipes
I have to agree dxp, I was at Santa Pod last weekend for the Mopar Euronationals. The noise of a 7.5 litre engine through big unsilenced pipes exiting just behind the front wheels is incredible!
;o)
|
No one has mentioned the purr of a Citroen flat twin at speed.
No one has mentioned the horrible clamour, worse than any lawnmower, of single cylinder cars like the Bond Minicar or BMW Isetta...
I don't share this passion for large American V8s. They make a graceless, lopsided sort of beat, and when highly tuned go BLATBLATBLATBLATBLAT at large throttle openings.
I'm not saying I don't like the engines. I just think they make a yobbish noise... :o)
|
Can I have the honour of being the oldest Yob!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haven't been to Santa Pod since early 70's - good old days
|
>>Basically a pushed V12 sounds like a 50's housewife standing on a chair with a mouse running round the kitchen floor.
No wonder they don't sell many of them :-)
|
|
The nicest sounding/feeling engine I recall was that in my uncle's Daimler Dart (V8 2.5L) sports car. It was cream with, IIRC, red leather interior. It seemed incredibly fast at the time (as a passenger) - I still vividly remember a blast up the 'old' A13 (Grays-Southend section) in 1963. It was seen, I believe, as the less garish & 'yobbish' alternative to the sensational new E-type of the era, and certainly made an impression upon me, more used to Dad's relatively lumpy Ford Consul 375.
|
On the four cylinder side, the wonderful Vauxhall C20XE in the Astra GTE 16v was proof that a four could be intoxicating. They had that distinctive deep rasp from the tailpipe under load, and a lovely induction hiss around 3,500 RPM that developed into a full blown snarl as the revs climbed. One of my favourite engines, ever actually. Torque everywhere, 7,200 RPM on tap, and in 1000 odd kg of mk2 Astra, astonishingly quick. Also experienced it tweaked to 180 bhp in a Caterham - wow!
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
The finest combustion engine sound I ever heard was:
48 cylinders, 192 valves, 108 litres, 4 superchargers, 4000 BHP, arranged in 4 banks of v12s.
A lancaster bomber.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
|
Four Merlins in a Lanc were / are nearer 6000hp however they sound better in ones, i.e Spitfire, Hurricane or Mustang, likewise the Griffon sounds better in a Spitfire than four did in a Shackleton.
|
My 3-cylinder 991cc two-stroke Wartburg used to sound rather nice, as did the similar 843cc SAAB my friend owned.
Seconded on the Honda VTEC, Stuartli. I still wind it up just for fun, even at my time of life.
And, remembering the sound of one at 120mph, I am even now toying with the idea of finding a nice low-mileage NSX.
|
|
Merlin - any day of the week.
|
Four cyl motorcycles with after market exhaust pipes, in the '70s a 400/4 with a Yoshimura system sounded great, now days the 400s and 600s reving well beyond 15000 rpm wail at high revs where as the larger fours have a deeper note, my ZRX with its titanium Akrapovic sounds deep and burbling, mellow at low revs remaining restrained at higher revs, the ZX7R was altogether more urgent in note with the same exhaust system though did not wail like the 600s.
I was following a Faser 600 with a race pipe the other day
Also two strokes with expansion chambers, a twin has as manny firing pulses as a 4 stroke four at the same revs, a triple the same as a six.
|
Sorry, I was following a Faser 600 with a race pipe the other day, lovely rising falling wail if perhaps a little noisy through some of the quiet villages.
|
The broad general rule is that the more cylinders, the more flexible the pulling power.
My Triumph (straight 6) will burble quite happily from walking speed in 3rd gear. If feeling very lazy there is no need for any gearchanges at all, just flicking the overdrive switch in 3rd.
In my early days with a Triumph Stag (V8) I forgot which gear I was in and found it had started effortlessly in top gear - I thought I was in 2nd.
6 cylinders in my view make the most refined noise - quiet purr, with a hint of burbly power when you put your foot down.
V8s are unashamedly made for power, and often make an interesting beat note between the two pipes. You either love it or hate it.
I've never heard a straight 8, but I can imagine it's the best.
I agree about the Daimler Dart - it's on my dream wish-list.
|
|
And for a real oddity at the other end of the scale, listen and watch a single cylinder semi-diesel Fieldmarshall tractor. At idling speed, about 60 rpm, it heaves up and down with a deep grunt like a steam engine, sending smoke rings out of an enormous exhaust pipe.
|
|
|
|
